Swimming and hair

[Primamadonna]

I'm starting daily swimming again (indoors pool) and I was wondering if there are any regular swimmers who have tried and tested good products for keeping their bonces looking healthy ? I have dry curly and highlighted above shoulders hair. I notice at the pool a lot of women just pile their hair on their heads in buns...but I've wet mine, put conditioner on and then swimming cap. Not verr attractive but am trying to protect it. I'm only a week into my new swimming regime and my hair is rather fluffy and dry looking, even with keratase shampoo, conditioner & leave in stuff. I don't want to go through the entire boots hair counter/lush/keratase etc - so if someone has some experience in this I gratefully appreciate some tips re products- many thanks !

No experience but I asked a similar question re holiday hair last week and Philip Kingsley Swimcap comes highly recommended. It was devised for a swimming team.

I wouldn't put conditioner on. The chlorine will just have something to react with. If you wet your hair beforehand it will stop some of the swimming pool water getting into the hair, and then use a shampoo after swimming like Ultraswim to get the chlorine out.

Boots Swim and Gym shampoo and conditioner. I just stuff my hair under my cap (TYR silicone) then wash with the Boots shampoo and conditioner and my hair is in great condition

When mine gets particularly dry I use about a pea-sized amount of Fudge serum. It's fairly pricey but lasts a good 6 months or so and is great for reconditioning quickly.

Thanks for the info. I hadn't thought of the chlorine reacting with the conditioner unfavourably. Am googling the Philip Kingsley swimcap. I did try his elasticiser a few years ago & I wasn't keen but it's cheap enough to try. I will try the boots stuff as it's very reasonable.

I recently asked the same question.
I use PK Swimcap, wear a rubber hat and it's still not looking good.
My highlights have gone brassy and my hairs like straw.
Still looking for the holy grail.

I feel your pain Stopat - I am wondering about Argan oil, it seems lighter than a serum/PK. I have been googling & looking at Amazon but am now dizzy and confused !

The boots swim stuff is really good but in the end I have up on highlights as they just didn't look good in a very short amount of time.

My hairdresser has long vivid red hair. She swears by wearing 2 swimming caps.

I swim and have given up on my hair. It's now short and not dyed. But short hair isn't an option when it's curly.

It's the bleach which reacts with the chlorine.

Try 2 swim caps. Don't put your hair in a bun, just put your head down and sort of scrunch your hair into the cap.

Use a hair mask a couple of times a week. I like the E'spa one.

I tried argon oil. I also tried coconut oil. Neither of them helped. In fact the coconut oil just ended up on my goggles.

Anything alkaline will react with chlorine, ie almost all personal care products.

Two swimming caps - that reminds me, I used to wear a disposable plastic shower cap under my swimming cap (it's a Zoggs one & not a Speedo skin tight one). Shall try that with just wetting my hair first.
I was thinking of the Argan oil product as an after swimming thing - don't want the slimy goggles !